Machine for shaping tubular stock



NOV? 1967 5. F. BECKWELL MACHINE FOR SHAPING TUBULAR STOCK 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 10, 1965 INVENTOR GEORGE F. BECKWELL Gila/aim 3U. (Pm 0m 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 as In GEOFZGE F. BECKWELL BY 1967 G. F. BECKWELL I MACHINE FOR SHAPING TUBULAR STOCK Filed May 10, 1965 Nov. 28, 1967 G. F. BECKWELL 3,354,690

MACHINE FOR SHAPING TUBULAR STOCK Filed May 10, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 (91mm 91. WW

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United States Patent 3,354,690 MACHINE FOR SHAPING TUBULAR STOCK George F. Beckwell, Sugar Grove, 11]., assignor to Pines Engineering Co., Inc., Aurora, 11]., a corporation of Illinois Filed May 10, 1%5, Ser. No. 454,441 14 Claims. (Cl. 72-352) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tubular stock forming machine including brake means to resist free return of mechanism feeding stock to a shaping tool.

This invention relates to improvements in machines useful to close taper or otherwise constrict the lead end of a section of tubular stock to provide, in effect, a bottle neck" on said stock.

The machine disclosed herein is characterized by including a slidable head mounting an incrementally rotatable work holding tool. The head is guided along a guideway towards a forming die into which the end of the tubular stock is thrust. Because of the application of tremendous forces required to properly form the tubular stock the head is constantly advanced toward the forming die while its work holding tool is axially reciprocated rapidly during which time the tubular stock incrementally rotated. Owing to this manner of work piece advance it becomes necessary to insure that the head is held against reverse movement and guided truly along the machine bed so as to avoid any wobble or the like which would tend to mar or otherwise distort or deface the work piece. It is to these ends that applicant has provided hydraulically controlled guide means which functions to clamp the head firmly to its guide rail at all times during the production of work and which means is released when the head is being returned to its initial start position.

More particularly, applicant has provided a guide rail embraced by a pair of wedge blocks or pressure shoes which, during production work, are held in tight binding engagement with the guide rail. Hydraulic means is provided to maintain this clamping engagement even when wear occurs on the related parts. Such hydraulic means is also actuatable to release the pressure shoes when the head is returned to its start position upon completion of a forming operation.

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a machine of the character referred to.

' Another object is to provide novel guide means for a slidable head.

vAnother object is to provide a slidable work carrying head with novel means to insure its firm, true travel in the direction required for performing a forming operation.

Another object is to provide novel means to prevent unintended return of the head to its start position while being advanced toward a work performing position.

Another object is to provide a slidable work carrying head with novel means to insure its easy frictionless return to a start position upon completion of a forming operation.

Another object is to provide a pressure shoe-guide structure of novel construction and assembly for a slidable element.

The structure by means of which the above noted and other advantages and objects of the invention are attained will be described in the following specification, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, showing a preferred illustrative embodiment of the invention, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a forming machine embodying the features of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the machine;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged side elevational view of the work holder head, showing parts in section;

FIG. 4 is a rear end elevational view of the head;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged detail plan view of the pressure shoe-guide assembly, viewed substantially along line 5-5 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a detail sectional view of one of the two like sets of pressure shoe assemblies, taken substantially along line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a representative view of a formed work piece.

Referring to the exemplary disclosure of the machine, best illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 in the accompanying drawings, said machine includes an elongated horizontally disposed base frame 11 having on its upper side a pair of longitudinally extending guide rods 12 supported firm- 1y at their ends in standards 13. Mounted on a platform 14 extending to one side of the frame is a motor 15 operably connected to a hydraulic pressure pump 16 which is operable to generate the hydraulic pressure required for operation of the machine. Of course, any other suitable source of hydrauli pressure can be used.

A work head 17 is slidable along the guide rods 12, from any start position, to the right as viewed in FIG. 1. The head is slidable so as to carry a work piece 18, having its rearmost end nested firmly in a work holder 19 carried on a rotatable spindle 21 arranged on the front or lead end of head 17, forwardly into a pair of forming dies 22 that are secured firmly on frame 11. The forming dies 21 function, as the lead end of the tubular stock or work piece 18 is urged thereinto, to contract or constrict the Walls of such stock in such manner as to produce an end product substantially as shown in FIG. 7. Owing to the need to produce a product devoid of marring, blemishes, or irregularities, the work piece is not forced continuously into the forming dies. Instead it is incrementally advanced and rotated and at the same time is incrementally hammered into the forming dies. Such rotary movement is accomplished by providing the head 17 with means in the form of a sprag clutch (not shown) which is operated by a pair of arms 23 that are connected to a hydraulic piston-pump 24 which is operable to impart incremental rotation to the spindle 21 during machine operation. The spindle 21, which extends axially through head 17, has an axial bore 25 connected at its rearmost end with a line 26 leading to pump 16, which line includes a reversing valve (not shOWn) operable to open and close the line with great rapidity so as to create an intermittent flow of hydraulic fluid pressure into bore 25. The forward end of said bore opens into a pistoncylinder assembly 27, within spindle 21, which in turn is connected to the work holder 19 so as to cause said work holder and the work piece carried thereby to be reciprocated axially very short distances at great rapidity.

In order to advance the work piece 18 toward and into the forming die, the head 17 is advanced in the direction of said die. This is accomplished by means of a pistoncylinder assembly 28 in the rearmost end of which there 1s maintained a constant hydraulic pressure during the feeding operation. After a work piece has been formed in the forming die, the pressure in piston-cylinder assembly 28 is applied at the other or forward end thereof to carry the head 17 back to its start position. The controls for this feed may be manual or automatic.

As is well understood in this art, during the forming of a work piece, that is while the head 17 is advancing toward the forming die 22, looseness in the head mounting must be avoided for otherwise the finished work piece will not be true. Further, when being advanced toward the forming dies the head must be held firmly against moving rearvardly under impact of the applied pressure. In addition,

vhen the head is being returned to its start position upon :ompletion of the forming operation it must be free to llide with as littleeffort as possible. All of this is accomalished by the provision of novel pressure-shoe-guide neans now to be described.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 3 to 6, inclusive, there s arranged below the axis of said head 17 a guide track 29. Thisguide track is rigidly mounted in frame 11 and t has fiat parallel upstanding side faces 31 coextensive with its length. Mounted firmly on the underside of head [7, one on each side of said guide track, are a pair of hydraulic pressure shoe assemblies generally indicated at 32. These assemblies are alike. Each comprises a pair of horizontally disposed plates 33 (FIG. 6) having secured firmly between them, and adjacent the edge spaced from said guide track, a back-up wedge block 34. Fasteners 35 secure this assembly together and screws 36, extended through the base of the head, firmly secure said assemblies to said head.

The plates 33 provide mounting means for a series of loosely journalled and vertically disposed rollers 37 which extend between the plates and have tangential contact with the inclined surface 38 of the back-up wedge block 34.

A pressure shoe or wedge block 39 is mounted for free sliding between plates 33 inwardly of rollers 37. The pressure shoe 39 has upper and lower longitudinal flanges 41 coincidental with its inclined face 42 that fit slidingly in grooves 43 on the opposed faces of plates 33. As best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inclined face 42 of the pressure shoe 39 bears on the rollers 37 and the straight face 44 -.of said shoe .39 is opposed to the respective side face 31 of guide track 29.

It should be apparent that when the pressure shoes 39 are urged to the right, as viewed in FIG. 5, they are urged into tight binding engagement with guide track 29 and when urged to the left they are carried away from the guide track. Such movement of the pressure shoes is effected by means of mechanism now to be described.

Still referring to FIGS. 3-5, the underside of head 17 mounts a piston-cylinder assembly 45, secured pivotally at 4.6, which has its piston rod 47 pivotally connected, as at 48, to the lower end of a lever 49. The other end of said lever is firmly mounted on a shaft 51 journalled on the rear or trailing end of said head.

The shaft 51 mounts firmly, a pair of depending arms 52 one in axial alignment with each of the pressure shoes 39. As best shown in FIG. 5, each arm 52 has a com .pression spring 53 mounted between it and the respective pressure shoe. The arms are each apertured, below the springs, to receive freely therethrough a stud 54 anchored in the respective pressure shoe. Said stud projects through said opening and mounts on its threaded end a washer-nut assembly ,55,

Operation of this structure is substantially as follows. When the head 17 is being advanced in the direction of the forming die, hydraulic pressure is admitted into the forward end of the piston cylinder assembly .45, as through line 56 so as to rock the arms 52 in a counterclockwise direction to apply pressure endwise on the pressure shoes 39. This functions to urge the pressure shoes 39 firmly against the guide track 29 so as to prevent free play in the mount-in of th head. This pressure is maintained during the entire advance of the head and it functions further to resist reverse movement .of the head under load impact.

When the head is to be withdrawn to its start position,

.messure ;in 'thepiston-cylinder assembly 45 is reversed through fluid admitted through line 57, whereupon the larrns 52'are1swung clockwise into engagement with the rather than restrictive, as many details of the structure may be modified or changed wihout departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is not desired to be restricted to the exact construction described.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a machine for forming tubular stock, a mounting frame, a forming die on said frame, a guide rail on said frame, a work-piece holding head guided on said rail for movement toward and away from said forming die, a pair of pressure shoes carried by said head one arranged on each side of the guide rail, and a hydraulic piston-cylinder assembly on said head operably connected to said pressure shoes, said hydraulic piston-cylinder assembly being operable when the head is advancing toward the forming die to urge the pressure shoes into tight binding engagement with the guide rail and to move said pressure shoes away from the guide rail when the head is advanced in the opposite direction.

2. The machine recited in claim 1, in which the hydraulic piston-cylinder assembly is connected with said pressure shoes by means of lever arms.

3. The machine recited in claim 2, in which there are compression springs between said lever arms and the pressure shoes.

4. In a machine for forming tubular stock, a mounting frame, a forming die on said frame, a work-piece holding head movable along said frame toward and away from the forming die, means in the head to incrementally rotate the work-piece as it advances into the forming die, a guide rail on said frame and along which the head travels, a pair of pressure shoes carried by said head, one on each side of the guide rail, and means operable when the head is advancing toward the forming die to urge the pressure shoes tightly against said guide rail to prevent reverse movement of said head, said last named means being operable to release the pressure shoes from the guide rail while the head is being returned to its start position.

5. In a machine having a slidable head, a guide rail for said head, a pressure shoe assembly on said head operable to restrain movement of said head in a reverse direction while being advanced in a forward direction, said assembly comprising a pair of guide blocks secured firmly to said head one on each side of said guide rail, said guide blocks having longitudinally inclined surfaces disposed toward said guide rail, pressure shoes one associated with the inclined surface of each guide block and engageable with said guide rail, and means operable to move said pressure shoes along said inclined surfaces so as to urge them into tight binding engagement with the guide rail.

6. In the machine recited in claim 5, in which antifriction rollers are arranged between the inclined surfaces and the respective pressure shoes.

7. In the machine recited in claim 5, in which the pressure shoes are wedge shaped.

8. In a machine for close tapering tubular stock, a mounting frame, a forming die on said frame, a workpiece holding head movable toward and away from said forming die, a guide rail along which said head travels, and means on said head operable while the head is being advanced toward the forming die for firmly engaging said guide rail to prevent retraction of said head. i

9. In the machine recited in claim 8, in which the head includes means to rotate the work-piece.

10. In the machine recited in claim 8, in which the head includes means to apply hammer blows to the workpiece as the head advances toward the forming die.

11. In a machine for forming tubular stock, a mounting frame, a head reciprocable on said frame, a guide rail along which said head travels, and means on said head operable while the head is being advanced in one direction for firmly engaging said guide rail.

12. In the machine recited in claim 11, in which the said means comprises pressure shoes one on each side of said guide rail.

13. In the machine recited in claim 12, in which the pressure shoes are wedge shaped.

14. A clutch mechanism for restraining movement of an elementalong a guide rail comprising, in combination, a pairfot guide blocks on said element one on each side of said guide rail, said guide blocks having longitudinally inclined surfaces disposed toward but spaced from said guide rail, pressure shoes one arranged between each inclineds'urface and the opposed surface of said guide rail, levers one operably connected with each pressure shoe, a shaft mounting said levers, an arm carried on said shaft, and hydraulic means engageable with said arm operable to actuate said levers for advancing and retracting the pressure shoes along the related inclined surfaces to carry the pressure shoes into and out of binding engagement with the guide rail.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,610,449 12/ 1926 Hunziker 188-43 2,405,478 8/ 1946 Westin et a1. 72352 3,203,513 8/1965 Allen 188-67 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,215,989 11/1959 France.

955,680 7/ 1949 Germany.

RICHARD J. HERBST, Primary Examiner. 

